violence against children and women during the …
TRANSCRIPT
1
June 2021
Even before COVID-19, over 1 billion children
(aged 2–17 years) reported experiencing
sexual, physical or emotional violence every
year. Across their lifetimes, 1 in 3 women are
subjected to physical or sexual violence by an
intimate partner or sexual violence from a
non-partner. Violence against children and
against women are highly interconnected.
Children who witness or experience violence
are more likely to perpetrate it or be
victimized in adulthood, thus continuing the
cycle of violence.
Measures to contain COVID-19, including
movement restrictions and the closure of
schools, services, and businesses, have
exacerbated economic insecurity, stress and
uncertainty: all factors that increase the
likelihood of violence against children and
women, while cutting them off from social
and professional support systems. The crisis
has exposed the weaknesses of violence
prevention and response efforts. Growing
evidence shows that for certain populations
— such as girls, ethnic and racial minorities,
individuals with disabilities, and refugees —
the risks of violence are compounded by
structural inequities and historical
discriminations.
The pandemic compels us to strengthen
prevention and response services to help
VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN AND WOMEN DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
Children and COVID-19 Research Library Quarterly Digest Issue 2: October 2021
© UNICEF/UN0403207/Ahmed Abdalkarim. On 21 November 2020, a mother and her child at the UNICEF breastfeeding room at the Hamdayet Reception Centre in Gedarif. The centre provides a relaxing atmosphere for mothers recently traumatized by the violence they fled in Tigray, Ethiopia.
2
children and women not only overcome
these circumstances, but also achieve
physical, mental, and social well-being.
Mounting evidence on what works and where
there are gaps are a guide for how to do this.
UNICEF Innocenti’s Evidence Gap Map
visually depicts the state of the evidence,
while the Solutions Summit Events provide a
forum for academia, government, and actors
on the ground to grapple with the latest
knowledge and work collectively to end
violence.
Thirteen research papers are spotlighted in
this digest, including studies that focus on
groups that are often underrepresented in
research and others that embrace virtual
platforms to identify potential victims of
violence and provide reporting, referral
mechanisms, and support services.
By tracking violence in the home from the
outset of the pandemic, these studies show
the ubiquitous impact of containment
measures. However, many studies faced
methodological challenges, thus limiting our
ability to generalize these lessons to every
setting.
The fragility of global gains in gender
equality and child protection are evident.
Children, adolescents, and women –
including those with disabilities, in conflict-
affected settings, or with limited socio-
economic opportunities – suffered the brunt
of the pandemic. 73% of refugee and
displaced women interviewed for a study in
Africa said intimate partner violence had
increased in their communities during the
pandemic. Adolescents in Bangladesh,
Ethiopia, the State of Palestine, and Jordan
reported increased household stress which at
times translated into verbal and physical
violence. In Latin America and the Caribbean,
the pandemic exacerbated pre-existing
inequalities which, in turn, placed some
groups at higher risk of contracting the virus
and of suffering from its impact, including
increased exposure to violence.
From these hard lessons, a few silver linings
have emerged. We have unequivocal data on
the need to view violence response and
prevention efforts as ‘essential services’. We
have learned about the role of adequately
funded child protection, family welfare
services, health care, education systems, and
other social support services, in times of
distress. Violence risk and protective factors
are clearer, and promising interventions are
emerging. In addition, we are compiling an
ever-growing repository of tools, packages,
and recommendations on how to ‘build back
better’ and weather future crises.
We are still learning about the most effective
violence prevention and mitigation strategies,
and there is significant room to improve
responses measures. One thing is clear: in
order to develop effective gender
transformative solutions and opportunities,
we must meaningfully involve children,
adolescents, activists, community
respondents, and other actors on the ground.
It is only through engaging their voices that
we can hope to adapt programmes, plans,
and policies to a radically changed world.
Floriza Gennari is Consultant on Violence
Prevention in the Child and Adolescent Rights
and Empowerment team at UNICEF Innocenti.
Alessandra Guedes is Manager for Gender and
Development Research and leads UNICEF
Innocenti’s work on violence against children
and against women.
Stephen Blight is Senior Advisor for Child
Protection at UNICEF Headquarters, leading
the team on violence against children.
VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN AND WOMEN UNDER COVID-19
3
RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS
Can youth empowerment programmes
reduce violence against girls during the
COVID-19 pandemic?
Gulesci et al. Journal of Development Economics, August 2021
This paper shows how a youth
empowerment programme in Bolivia,
including training and job-finding assistance
sessions, reduced the reported prevalence of
violence against girls during the COVID-19
lockdown. The study conducted a
randomized control trial with 600 vulnerable
adolescents in four cities in Bolivia.
Findings indicate that seven months after
completion, the programme increased girls’
earnings and decreased violence against
girls. No reduction in violence was found for
boys. The intervention combines various
components to improve skills, agency, social
networks, and consequently income levels.
This increase in earnings could have
improved girls’ economic empowerment and
played a role in reducing their exposure to
violence by removing financial stressors in
families.
Violence against children and the COVID-19
pandemic
Bhatia et al. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, August 2021
This evidence review of 48 studies illustrates
how responses to the pandemic have
changed children’s risk of violence and how
the pandemic is affecting prevention and
response efforts. It offers ideas for policy-
makers on how to address violence in the
context of a protracted COVID-19 crisis.
The review highlights the need for enhanced
coordination across the health, education,
law enforcement, housing, child and social
protection sectors. It also notes the need for
policies that prioritize violence prevention
and promote the role of youth in decision-
making and programme design. The study
recommends that violence prevention and
response services should be unconditionally
protected and maintained during pandemics.
This requires appropriate budgets and
human capital to be integrated into
pandemic preparedness strategies.
Remote evaluations of violence against
women and girls’ interventions: a rapid
scoping review of tools, ethics and safety
Seff et al. BMJ Global Health, August 2021
This scoping review of 14 studies describes
remote data collection methods, reflects on
safety and ethical considerations, and offers
best practices for remote data collection on
violence against women and girls.
Findings show that while participants were
often asked to use a safe email or device, the
method for verifying safety was rarely
specified. Best practices around safety
included creating a ‘quick escape’ button for
online data collection, explaining to
participants how to erase browsing history
and application purchases, and asking
participants to specify a safe time for
researchers to call. Only eight studies offered
referrals to study participants who might
need such support. None of the studies took
place in low- or middle-income countries or
humanitarian settings. The findings are
complemented with guidance on data
security for those designing remote
evaluations of violence interventions.
Each quarter, this digest highlights newly curated research papers selected based on criteria such as
relevance to children's rights; a diversity of research methodology; and insights from low- and middle-
income countries. This selection is not exhaustive and we welcome suggestions from our readers on
papers for consideration.
4
The impact of COVID-19 on women and girls
with disabilities: a global assessment and
case studies on sexual and reproductive
health and rights, gender-based violence,
and related rights
UNFPA and Women Enabled International,
June 2021
This qualitative study provides an
assessment of the impact of COVID-19 on the
rights and well-being of women and girls
with disabilities around the world. The results
are based on virtual consultations and
written survey results from over 300 women,
girls, and gender-non-conforming persons
with disabilities, as well as their advocates,
family members, and support persons.
Findings indicate that women and girls with
disabilities experienced increased risks of
violence during COVID-19 due to intersecting
factors linked to discrimination, stigma, and
stereotypes related to gender and disability.
In addition, lockdowns make it difficult for
women and girls with disabilities to escape
an abusive situation and seek help, since in
many settings support services became less
accessible. The report stresses the
importance of placing women and girls with
disabilities at the centre of study and
programme design and implementation.
Using social media data for assessing
children’s exposure to violence during the
COVID-19 pandemic
Babvey et al. Child Abuse & Neglect, June
2021
This study proposes a framework to assess
changes in children’s exposure to violence
during the COVID-19 pandemic, using
testimonials and conversational data from
over 40 million tweets collected from Twitter
users in 16 countries, as well as information
gathered from U.S. Reddit users.
Findings show that violence-related
subreddits were among the topics with the
highest growth after the COVID-19 outbreak.
Twitter data show a significant increase in
abusive content during the stay-at-home
restrictions. As societies’ reliance on
technology grows, including for remote
working and learning, greater efforts are
needed to increase children’s online safety
and prevent technology-facilitated violence
towards children.
Violence against women and children during
COVID-19—One year on and 100 papers in: A
fourth research round up
Bourgault et al. Center for Global Development, April 2021
This paper takes stock of 26 studies that seek
to determine whether COVID-19 and
containment measures lead to an increase of
violence against women and children. Fifteen
studies present findings on trends of violence
against women and children from pre-
pandemic through various stages of the
pandemic, with twelve papers finding
evidence of increased violence. Ten studies
explore risk and protective factors and find
that being married, unemployed, losing
RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS
© UNICEF/UN0517549. On 17 August 2021, the boy in the picture, 14, fled the violence in Dara’a al-Balad with his family, moving north for shelter in safer neighbourhoods of Dara’a. Escalating violence in Dara’a, since late July, has forced over 36,000 people, most of them women and children, out of their homes for shelter.
5
household income, food insecurity, and
spousal substance abuse were all linked to
increased risks of violence. Protective factors
include higher education level for either the
wife or husband and women’s employment.
Gap in knowledge include the types of
policies and programmes that are effective
during the pandemic, the recovery period to
prevent and mitigate violence against women
and children, and data on cost-effectiveness.
”Some got married, others don’t want to
attend school as they are involved in income-
generation”: adolescent experiences
following COVID-19 lockdowns in low- and
middle-income countries
Jones et al. Gender and Adolescence: Global Evidence, April 2021
This report identifies intersecting challenges
faced by adolescents in Bangladesh, Ethiopia,
the State of Palestine, and Jordan during
COVID-19. Results are based on telephone
surveys with almost 7,000 adolescents aged
12–19 and qualitative research with a subset
of over 400 respondents, including 72
married girls, 38 adolescents with disabilities,
and 60 key informants.
Findings indicate that many adolescents
faced increased levels of household stress,
often resulting in verbal and physical
violence. Adolescents’ perception of
community violence risks increased, as did
reports of theft and sexual violence cases.
Most girls in Bangladesh, Jordan, and
Palestine described a reduced risk of early
marriage due to families’ increased economic
challenges and inability to afford weddings.
In contrast, girls in rural Ethiopia experienced
increased risks of marriage due to poverty
and harmful gender norms. The absence of
safety networks, including teachers and
health workers, also increased risk.
Recommendations include listening to
adolescents’ experiences and voices,
increasing access to mechanisms to seek
help and report violence, and supporting
caregivers in a context of increased stress
and uncertainty, including strategies for
positive discipline.
Emerging responses implemented to prevent
and respond to violence against women and
children in WHO European member states
during the COVID-19 pandemic: a scoping
review of online media reports
Isabelle Pearson et al. BMJ Open, April 2021
This scoping review of 187 media reports and
165 publications and grey literature provides
evidence that a diverse set of measures were
taken by European governments and NGOs
to maintain and expand violence against
women and children service provision during
the COVID-19 pandemic. The most frequently
reported measures were the use of media
and social media to raise awareness of the
issue, providing violence against women and
children services through online platforms,
and expanding and/or maintaining helpline
services.
The strength of existing public health
systems influenced the choice of strategies,
highlighting the need for improving violence
prevention and response services during and
post-pandemic.
COVID-19 and violence against children: A
review of early studies
Cappa et al. Child Abuse & Neglect, April
2021
This article reviews 48 studies on the impact
of COVID-19 on violence against children.
The review indicates emerging patterns in
children’s exposure to violence, including an
increase in child abuse-related injuries
treated in hospitals and in family violence.
There has been a decrease in police reports
and referrals to child protective services, with
mixed results regarding the number of calls
to police or helplines.
The review points out that the limited
availability of baseline data and the absence
of established measurement standards
RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS
6
hinder the generation of comparable quality
data on violence against children. This is also
evident in the different methods, definitions,
and protocols being used to try to describe
the changing patterns of violence against
children. The study provides methodological
recommendations on future research on
COVID-19 and violence against children and
suggests prioritizing the standardization of
measurement tools and strengthening the
quality and availability of administrative data.
Violence against children and adolescents in
the time of COVID-19
ECLAC and UNICEF, December 2020
This report examines the exacerbation of
risks and the erosion of protection factors
relating to violence in the home experienced
by adolescents and children, especially girls,
within the context of COVID-19 in the Latin
America and the Caribbean region. It
highlights how pre-existing inequalities in the
region—resulting from the gradual
deterioration of socioeconomic conditions in
the region over the past decade—place some
groups at higher risk of contracting the virus
and suffering greater impacts. The paper
calls for the prioritization of strategies to
address violence against children and
adolescents within the agendas of the high-
level intersectoral bodies created to respond
to the COVID-19 crisis and future
emergencies. It provides an additional set of
specific recommendations, including via
collaboration with the private sector.
The COVID-19 pandemic and maternal
mental health in a fragile and conflict-
affected setting in Tumaco, Colombia: a
cohort study
Andrés Moya et al. The Lancet Global Health,
August 2021
The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on
mental health have been understudied
among vulnerable populations, particularly in
fragile and conflict-affected settings. This
longitudinal study analyses how the
pandemic is related to early changes in
mental health and parenting stress among
1,376 caregivers, many of whom are
RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS
© UNICEF/UN0408725/Beltrán. Together with the ICBF (Family Welfare Institute of Colombia), 34 young UNICEF volunteers share key messag-es on how to prevent all types of violence with more than 230 children and their families.
7
internally displaced persons (IDP), in a
conflict-affected setting in Colombia.
Results found that the likelihood of reporting
at-risk anxiety, depression, and parental
stress increased, suggesting that maternal
mental health significantly worsened during
the early stages of the pandemic. Mental
health decline was stronger for IDPs,
participants with lower education or pre-
existing mental health conditions, and for
those reporting a higher number of stressors,
including food insecurity and job loss.
Policies in fragile and conflict-affected
settings must mitigate further mental health
and socioeconomic problems through an
inclusive approach. Increased provision of
mental health services and improved social
protection is needed.
Immediate impact of stay-at-home orders to
control COVID-19 transmission on
socioeconomic conditions, food insecurity,
mental health, and intimate partner violence
in Bangladeshi women and their families: an
interrupted time series
Derakhshani Hamadani et al. The Lancet Global Health, November 2020
This paper explores the immediate impact of
COVID-19 lockdowns on women and their
families in rural Bangladesh. An interrupted
time series was used to compare data on
income, food security, and mental health
from 2,424 families before the pandemic and
during lockdown. The study also assessed
women’s experiences of intimate partner
violence during the pandemic.
Findings indicate that the lockdown reduced
paid work, lowered family income, and
increased food insecurity. Mothers’
depression and anxiety symptoms also
increased. Among women experiencing
emotional or moderate physical violence,
over half reported it had increased since the
lockdown. The results suggest COVID-19
lockdowns have presented significant
economic, psycho-social, and physical risks
to the well-being of women and their families
across economic strata in rural Bangladesh.
What Happened? How the Humanitarian
Response to COVID-19 Failed to Protect
Women and Girls
Abwola et al. International Rescue Committee, October 2020
This report captures how the pandemic has
affected the safety of women and girls in
humanitarian emergencies and outlines how
the humanitarian response to COVID-19 has
largely failed to take their needs and safety
into account. 852 women from refugee,
displaced and post-conflict settings in 15
African countries are included in this report.
These consultations corroborate reports that
rates of violence against women and girls
have increased. 73% of women reported an
increase in intimate partner violence, 51%
cited a growth in sexual violence and 32%
observed a growth in the levels of early and
forced marriage.
Respondents called for ensuring that gender-
based violence services are available and
accessible by adapting to the restrictions
imposed by COVID-19. They also underlined
the need for advocacy with local authorities
to ensure safe access to basic services.
The findings highlight the importance of the
active and meaningful participation of key
stakeholders, the importance of transparent
and accountable funding for GBV services in
humanitarian response plans, and the need
for reform of the humanitarian system to
support feminist approaches to crisis
response.
RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS
8
LIBRARY UPDATE: FACTS AND FIGURES
Overall, the Children and COVID-19 Research
Library contains almost 3,000 records. 636
new records have been added in the last
quarter (July to mid-September 2021).
Beyond VAWC, trending topics in the library
include the impact of COVID-19 on health and
well-being (including over 1,000 records on
mental health), education, and social
protection and equity, with less research on
nutrition, refugee and migrant youth and
children and adolescents with disabilities.
The library includes research from 116
countries with over 600 studies from low-
and middle-income countries. Few studies
have been collected from conflict-affected or
fragile contexts.
The UNICEF Innocenti’s Children and COVID-
19 Research Library has collected almost 400
research publications exploring the impact of
the COVID-19 on violence against women and
children (VAWC).
The research covers a range of themes,
including domestic violence, physical and
mental abuse, violence against children on
the move, cyberbullying, youth perspectives,
adverse parenting practices, substance use,
child marriage, child labour, and disabilities.
Much of this research covers low- and middle-
income countries and draws on primary data
collected during the pandemic.
Figure 1: number of records to date by content type
Records updated as of 15 September 2021
9
EDITORS’ PICK: WHAT’S TRENDING?
Physical activities
The pandemic disproportionally reduced
levels of physical activity among youth. In the
last quarter we have noticed an increase in
research that investigates physical activity and
screen-based activity among children and
adolescents, notably showing how closures,
cancellations, and restrictions on schooling
affected the engagement of school-aged
children in healthy physical movement. A
systematic review protocol synthesized
evidence on the effects of lockdowns, social
distancing, and other preventive measures on
declining physical activity among school-aged
children.
Substance use
Increasing evidence is pointing to an alarming
increase of substance use among youth
during the pandemic. In young adolescents
with high impulsivity, low parental
monitoring, or specific behavioural traits, the
COVID-19 pandemic increased use of nicotine
and misuse of prescription drugs. New
research has also linked substance use to
other serious mental health issues among
adolescents, including suicidal ideation and
deliberate self-harm.
Race and inequality
Children from historically disadvantaged
groups, such as racial minorities and lower
socioeconomic status, are disproportionately
impacted by COVID-19. Children with lower
socioeconomic status in the US report lower
mental health compared to their higher
socioeconomic status counterparts, while
increased medical mistrust has been shown
among the urban youth of colour. Racial
discrimination has also been associated with
higher parental stress.
Evidence on how educational and
socioeconomic inequalities (including gender
inequalities) among children have been
exacerbated by COVID-19 is also identified in
Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Turkey,
Barbados and Jamaica, Vietnam, India,
Nigeria, Jordan, and other developing
countries.
Vaccine hesitancy
Several new pieces of evidence are exploring
the determinants of parents hesitancy to
vaccinate children against COVID-19. Vaccine
hesitancy tends to be linked to concerns
about the safety and the efficacy of vaccines,
and confusion over conflicting information,
implying the need for clear communication,
comprehensive assessment of vaccination
systems and health education programmes.
Children in disadvantaged and
marginalized settings
In the last quarter, a limited number of
studies focused on the impact of the
pandemic on the well-being of marginalized
and disadvantaged children and adolescents,
particularly LGBTQ+ teens, children on the
move, children of prisoners.
Young LGBTIQ+ people were found to be at
increased risk of violence and abuse, health
conditions, limited access to services, as well
as economic vulnerability during the COVID-
19 outbreak.
New research has provided insights on the
heightened risks faced by forcibly displaced
and refugee youth during the pandemic in
Jordan, Palestine, and the Eastern
Mediterranean region.
10
USEFUL RESOURCES
• UNICEF Innocenti’s Children and COVID-19 Research Library
• Global Tracker of Studies on COVID-19 and Violence Against Children and Women
• UNDP COVID-19 Global Gender Response Tracker
• COVID-END COVID-19 Evidence Network to support Decision-making
• Campbell Collaboration COVID-19 response database on public health, economics and social science
• EPPI-Centre’s living map of COVID-19 evidence
• EPPI-Centre’s Living map of systematic reviews of social sciences research evidence on COVID-19
• Evidence Aid COVID-19 collection of systematic reviews
• COVID-19 and children from UNICEF Data
• Save the Children Resource Centre searchable for COVID-19 practitioner and policy content
• SSHAP Social Science in Humanitarian Action Platform
• Epistemonikos L*OVE platform on COVID-19 focusing on biomedical and health-related research
• PubMed LitCovid hub focusing on biomedical/clinical and health-related research
• WHO COVID-19 database focusing on biomedical/clinical and health-related research
• Cochrane COVID Rapid Reviews focusing on biomedical/clinical and other health-related research
• University of Oxford’s COVID-19 Government Response Tracker
• Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Centre
• The COVID-Minds Network of longitudinal studies to explore the effects of the pandemic on mental health
Guest Contributors: Floriza Gennari, Alessandra Guedes, and Stephen Blight
Curation and Layout: Ruichuan Yu, Emanuela Bianchera, and Nilam McGrath
Reviewers: Amber Peterman, Manahil Siddiqi, Kerry Albright, Ramya Subrahmanian, Gabrielle Berman and Eduard Bonet Porqueras
Contact information: [email protected]
More on UNICEF-Innocenti’s Children and COVID-19 Research Library
More on UNICEF Innocenti’s COVID-19 Rapid Research Response
About This Digest: Each quarterly thematic digest features the latest evidence drawn from UNICEF Innocenti’s Children and COVID-19 Research Library on a particular topic of interest. Updated daily, the library is a database collecting high-quality research from around the world on the socio-economic impacts of COVID-19, with the potential to inform programmatic and policy work for children and adolescents.
The text has not been edited to official publication standards and UNICEF accepts no responsibility for errors.
© UNICEF/UN0379948/Vinay Panjwani. Rajvi -CSO Volunteer in partnership engages with adolescents to discuss perceptions and experiences on violence and safety with focus on gender based violence in Navranpura, India.